Cases against Nella Nashion and Steve Samuel charge their involvement in a scheme to defraud the government by issuing checks to the local business Home Special Supply, which did not provide any service or products to the government in return.
Samuel is charged with grand larceny, conspiracy and other counts relating to a $19,000 Marshall Islands government check issued to Home Special Supply. Nashion is charged with 17 counts relating to five checks for $80,350 to Home Special Supply.
The owner of the business, David Lin, had similar charges dismissed last week by Judge Plasman.
But Judge Plasman ruled in Samuel’s case that sufficient evidence was presented to show that Samuel was a member of a conspiracy “whose end was to perpetrate fraud in the government.” Plasman ruled similarly in the case against Nashion.
On Monday last week, both Nashion and Samuel pleaded not guilty to the charges. A trial date has not yet been scheduled.
Three of the six government workers so far charged in a wide-ranging theft of at least $500,000 from the government will be going to trial. Decisions on cases involving the others will be made following hearings in the coming weeks to determine if sufficient evidence has been presented for them to go to trial.
